Linux and Main: GNOME Ponders “Rewindable” Desktops

“Poag’s proposal involves a desktop that can go forward and
backward in time. ‘Of course, the notion of being able to ‘go back’
and change stuff creates a few interesting problems,’ he pointed
out. ‘You begin forking time. You have parallel threads of linear
storage co-existing within the same system, differentiated only by
the behaviors exerted by the user. What becomes a ‘rewind’ from one
point of view may turn out to be a ‘fast forward’ from another. But
thats the trick–Since you’re no longer dealing with files per se,
you lose the concept of a ‘version’. There is no such thing as
version 1 or version 2 of a document. Its the same document, just
represented differently depending on where you are in terms of
time. With the notion of a ‘file’ thrown out the window, you have
the freedom to move forward or back within whatever frame of time
your system manages to keep.’

“This, he admits, may seem difficult to grasp, let alone
implement…”

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